Super Bowl zzzzzzzzz…..

Maybe it was because I’m a Jets fan living the nightmare of a Patriots-Giants matchup for the second time in four years, but the Super Bowl last night wasn’t all that compelling for me. I’m just glad the blowouts that seemed to wreck the games in the 1980s and 90s haven’t returned in a while. As for the commercials? Meh. Nothing grabbed me. I saw the best ones (Ferris Bueller-Honda, Jerry Seinfeld-Acura) several days ago online. That sort of steals the thunder from seeing it during the game. And the ones that aired during the game were shorter than what was seen online. Had the Acura one had David Letterman at the end instead of Jay Leno (blech), we might have really been on to something. The Doritos one with the dog was cool.

None of that is important now, of course. Football is done and it’s just about time for baseball.

*Pitchers and catchers report to Reds camp in Goodyear, Ariz., in 13 days. Just maybe…the Ryan Ludwick and Jeff Francis transactions will be announced by then.

*For all the rumors that briefly flared up again over the weekend, I will only believe that Roy Oswalt will sign with the Reds when he is standing in front of me wearing a Reds uniform on Feb. 19. It’s not that Oswalt doesn’t want to be with the Reds — his people have called. For now, the Reds don’t have the budget or roster space and don’t appear (at least from the outside) willing to make manuevers to create either. I think it’s a little telling that other clubs (Rangers, Cardinals?) seem to be saying something similar and Oswalt is still out there with less than two weeks left in the off-season.

I agreethat rembering is a nasty habit remember baseball with no free agents,no greedy agents 154 games Temple,Robinson,Bell,Big Klu,Post,Bailey or Burgess,Jablonski, Mc Millan and the Birdies staff –Ruth singing RALLY AROUND THE REDS and that fantastic gm Gabe Paul and Powell Crosley well anyway wish it was still like that.

The game was a dud except for the last quarter. The commercials struck me as flop-sweat desperate. At least now, you can turn on the radio without hearing about ‘Gronk’s ankle’ So, Mark, the spotlight’s on you! It’s all baseball now!

Super Bowl XLVI was the most-watched U.S. television program in the history of the medium, drawing 111.3 million viewers between 6:31 p.m. and 9:58 p.m. Eastern time. That figure surpasses the 111 million who watched last year’s Super Bowl XLV, which was then the biggest audience in American TV history. According to final Nielsen ratings for the night, the latest NFL title game earned a 47.0 rating and a 71 share, making it the sixth-highest rated Super Bowl of all time. The highest rating still belongs to the CBS /quotes/zigman/393390/quotes/nls/cbs CBS +0.51% broadcast of Super Bowl XVI in 1982, which drew a 49.1 and 73 share. Super Bowl XLVI, a 21-17 victory for the New York Giants over the New England Patriots, was still in doubt in the final seconds, as New England quarterback Tom Brady lofted a “Hail Mary” pass into the endzone that fell incomplete.

Guys, wake up and smell the coffee. Football continues to be the new sport of kings; America’s new past time.

Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI was the most-watched TV program in U.S. history in terms of viewers — but the Cincinnati-San Francisco Super Bowl XVI in 1982 remains the highest-rated Super Bowl.

According to Nielsen Company data released by NBC, the Giants-Patriots game was seen by a record 111.3 million viewers, topping last year’s 111.0 for Super Bowl XLV on Fox. (When you think about it, this makes sense because there are more viewers and TVs every year.)

The game averaged a 47.0 rating and a 71% audience share, compared to a 46.0 rating/69% share for Super Bowl XLV. It was the highest-rated Super Bowl since 1983 (Bears-Patriots, Super Bowl XX, 48.3/70), and the 6th highest in Super Bowl history.

But the #1 all-time rating remains a 49.1 rating/73% share for Super Bowl XVI in 1982 (Bengals-49ers in Pontiac, Mich.).

. Speaking of football and its horrible grip on the popular pulse of the nation: I heard political commentator, George Will, say the other day, when asked his preference for the recent Super Bowl, that football reflected the two worst aspects of contemporary American society: it was comprised of violence arrayed on a field of play (my paraphrasing) and was punctuated by committee meetings they refer to as huddles! And then he added: pitchers and catchers report in two weeks. At last, he picked the New York Giants, which proved prescient, only because he said he liked to take the pick that he thought would irritate the most liberals and, with this year’s opponent being the New England Patriots, he was left in a ‘clear quandary’. In the end, Giants because he figured the concentration of liberals in the Boston area was probably higher.

Listen do you hear yourself you have become a barer of mis itteruptive crap—you will get your kicks ot on route 66 but what the tv moguls want you to think—-I will give you one thing you have guts to tell baseball fans that smoked possum is as good as prime rib.

Today’s spring training advent calendar provides us a picture of the Reds’ outfielders: Heisey, Stubbs, Bruce, Ludwick, with Frazier half in the picture and half out. Seems like sonmeone didn’t make the picture, but I can’t remeber who.

In my view, in order to sign Oswalt the Reds would have to re-arrange the
SP, trade off Homer (Arroyo’s contract too big) and put the club in a “one
n’ done” year with the tough guy. Way too big a risk in my view and at the
end of the year, what do we have? Can we really say that Oswalt is that
much better in terms of W than Homer, who is bettering his numbers year
over year and several years younger?

In any event, Jocketty has corrected the media and said this morning that
the Reds haven’t even talked to Oswalt and that the media is cranking up
the siren in order write something.

No, let’s play these 5 cards and see if we can get the full-house we need to
get into the playoffs; thereafter it’s a crapshoot anyway as anything can happen
in short playoff stints.

Lastly, let’s find out what Homer can really do; at his age he could be a real
find although that’s been said before. I suspect Arroyo will pitch back into
form, the others will do just fine. Also, Chapman and Francis are waiting in the
wings as backups and emergency starters.

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